GUERIN, MOTHER THEODORE

born Oct. 2, 1798, tables, Ctes-du-Nord, France died May 14, 1856, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., U.S. original name Anne-Thrse Gurin Franco-American religious leader who supervised the founding of a number of Roman Catholic schools in Indiana. Anne-Thrse Gurin entered the community of the Sisters of Providence at Ruill-sur-Loir, France, in 1823, and in 1825 she took her final vows in the order as Sister Theodore. She was appointed superior of the order's school in Rennes, and in 1833 she was transferred to the school at Soulaines. In 1840 she and five other sisters answered a call from the bishop of Vincennes, Indiana, to establish the order there. They arrived in October 1840 and established the Convent of St. Mary-of-the-Woods near Terre Haute, Indiana, with Mother Theodore as superior. Within a month the first novices had been accepted into the convent, and in July 1841 the Institute of St. Mary's, the first academy for girls in Indiana, was opened. It received a state charter in 1846 and eventually (1909) became Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. In her 16 years as superior of the American branch of the Sisters of Providence, Mother Theodore oversaw the establishment of the motherhouse and the opening of 10 schools throughout Indiana in addition to the Institute of St. Mary's.